A virtual Internet service provider (VISP) is an entity that offers one or more Internet services under its own company or brand name, while actually using the equipment and facilities of another Internet service provider (ISP) to provide those services. In some circumstances, a VISP offers the same services as a regular ISP, such as web hosting, email, and domain name provisioning. The VISP purchases services from another ISP, sometimes called a “wholesale ISP,” that allows the VISP's customers to access the one or more Internet services that are owned and operated by the wholesale ISP.